@pky Did your teacher ever have you try some viola playing tricks for your fourth finger? I'm finally getting starting to get the hang of the trick my teacher has been showing me, and now I find myself actually hitting the fourth finger notes a little sharp, a nice little change, though I'd rather just hit the note right, lol. She has me use either the second or third finger as a pivot point (just based on whatever note is before or after the fourth finger) and lift the index finger from the string, and roll my hand towards me to land the pinky finger in its place. She has a short fourth finger (nothing like ours, though, lol) and does this to reach her notes, and picked it up from playing the viola.

@damfino I think I have already done that, my teacher showed me that trick as well, with short pinky and old age = less flexible playing on G and D with pinky is just difficult for me. You know the trick about using your fingers with pinky, ring, and tall man up-side down on your side of your face and with your thumbs and index fingers making a circle around your eyes with thumbs on top? I cannot do that. I bet if I could do that trick, I would have no problem with my pinky. I could do high 4 in tune though LOL probably cheated by doing a little shifting. My teacher was watching me closely and tried to figure out how I did high four so I could use the same trick on the regular four.

Yesssssss: Glad to have it back. I even called Fiddlershop yesterday (and left a message) to find out if it was the server or my computer. Then I spoke with "RosinedUP" and he had the same problem.

It's fixed now,, so, Pierre, disregard my message.

Panic was settin in here too.

Ken.    

bluesviolin said

coolpinkone said
>>see how Ming plays. 

@coolpinkone : Re: Ming. Is this your made in China violin? If so, I got a China violin last march, because I lost my old German (and recently got it back) but I'm very happy with my China Fiddle. I've never named any of my numerous violins over the past 40 years, but I was thinking about naming the China. It would have to be a female name. It's a solid color, Red with an orange tinge. 
 

...after reading some other posts in some other threads, I've figured that Ming is the name of the maker, or probably factory made under that name, yes? and that @damfino has one also? I'm just curious, what is the full name of this maker?